


a lesson on keeping things inside

by asdf8975



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 03:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17418410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asdf8975/pseuds/asdf8975
Summary: With all her Japanese knowledge, she managed to muster out something very similar to what she heard the other day."It's no good to keep it all in."-----Minjoo spends time observing Hitomi when it's brought to her attention that there was something off about the Japanese member.  With encouragement and some help, she eventually gathers the courage to figure out what was the issue.





	a lesson on keeping things inside

"Minjoo-yah, do you have a second?"

Minjoo was in the middle of pouring a cup of water when her name was called from the doorway.  Her doe-like eyes fluttered in concern, the cup put down and her attention turned to the speaker. "Did something happen, Unnie?"

Over her own voice she could hear faint arguing coming from the living room of their dorm.  It was another late-night eating session with the "late-night snack crew" and a certain energetic _beagle_ and an exasperate _fairy_ had a heated discussion on where the best place was to order fried chicken.  She frowned as she heard heaps of laughter and some yelling--her eyes returned to the dishevelled, hastily pulled-up ponytail girl at the doorway.  "There's no way Yujinie or Chaewon-unnie will listen to me if you're going to ask..."

Yena laughed, a sly grin upturned the corner of her lips and she shrugged nonchalantly, "Nah, it's not that.  Hyewon already ordered so those two are arguing about nothing."

Minjoo hid the laugh behind her cup--that sounded like her Hyewon-unnie, never patient when food was involved.  Minjoo noticed the brown eyes lower as the moment passed--the air tensed between the two of them and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her mug.

"Have you... noticed anything about Hitomi lately?"

Her mug nearly slipped out of her grip in confusion and at the abrupt mention of one of their Japanese members.  She immediately shook her head, nothing strange or abnormal came to her mind but if she was honest, she might not have noticed.  Yena's eyes lowered once more, the flash of disappointment was apparent.  She also scratched her cheek, "Aish... I can't read that girl sometimes." She muttered under her breath.  Due to Yena's natural loud voice, Minjoo heard the frustrated words, and with concern, gestured towards the dining table nearby to hear the whole story.

They settled down at the furthest corner, away from the doorway, Minjoo with her cup of water while Yena sat across and rested her face between her propped-up palms as she squished her cheeks and puckered her lips like a duck.

"She's been kind of quiet lately, like somethings on her mind." Yena started, pursed lips flapped up and down and it nearly made Minjoo choke with laughter.  If the topic wasn't serious, she most likely would be laughing with her head against the table.  Instead, she pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded gently to let Yena go on.  "Y'know we've been flying around a lot and Hitomi and I walk out together.  I like to make jokes a lot and tease her but..."

Yena's hands wiggled around the air and clutched the empty air in front of her.  "Even though her hands are interlaced with mine, it feels like... something is missing." The hands slowly clasped together, but only one squeezed the other.  "Her responses are... not there.  It's as if she's holding something back." She leaned back in the seat and sighed.

"She's a good kid, Minjoo-yah, but I'm scared she's burdened with something and holding it all in."

Minjoo noticed Yena's eyes reached out to her own, searching for a response or an answer from her, and Minjoo forced herself to look downwards at the rim of her cup--the entire situation was something she never knew about.  When she's with Hitomi, normally Yuri and Nako were there as well (being they were the '01 line’), and nothing ever seemed out of the ordinary.  Minjoo honestly thought Hitomi was just a quiet girl.  "I... haven't noticed anything lately." She finally admitted and met Yena's eyes briefly.  "Have you asked Eunbi-unnie about it?"

Their leader was the other person who normally was with Hitomi when going to the airports, so Minjoo thought she would know best.

The young duck shook her head, pursed lips fell into a frown.  "Eunbi-unnie already has a lot on her shoulders with being the eldest and the leader." Her eyes looked towards the doorway and lingered on the closed door that lead to her shared room with the said leader.  Minjoo noticed a mix of emotions that swirled in Yena's eyes--sadness, worried, determination...

"We have to do our part too, so she doesn't carry all of it."

The strong and serious words made Minjoo perk up in surprise and awe--Yena was normally a jokester and a mood maker but seeing her determination and seriousness made Minjoo respect her elder even more than she already did.  At her stare, Yena's cheeks flared up and she scratched them gently.  "B-Besides, I care about my _dongsaeng_ too!"  Even though the words were hasty and sheepish, they were filled with love and affection, and followed by a pat and a small ruffle through Minjoo's hair.

Minjoo felt herself melt a little--any other member would reply with a snarky remark because it was Yena, but she was inspired by Yena's words--it filled her with that same love and determination to help the other members.  As Yena's hand retracted, she slowly reached out, and grabbed and squeezed it gently.

"I'll... see what I can do."

Yena was surprised, but at Minjoo's resolve, she grinned, happy to also have her help.  Their conversation ended abruptly when the doorbell to their dorm rang and quick footsteps could be heard across the wooden floors.  Yena immediately shot up and rubbed her stomach.  "Sorry Minjoo-yah, gotta get the chicken!"

Minjoo just rolled her eyes as Yena shot out of the kitchen, Yena's normal loudness returned and mixed with the other dorm members who were still arguing over chicken.

 

* * *

 

After listening to Yena's worry, Minjoo kept her eyes on Hitomi quietly.  It was harder when the other members (especially Yujin) called for her attention and she didn't live in the same dorm as her, but she was determined.  When they were out for work as a group or for food or even practice, Minjoo did her best to try to move closer to Hitomi.  She caught Yena's glance in most of her attempts and Yena gave her a silent thumbs up, before bothering one of the other members (mostly Yuri, Yujin, and Nako) to give her space.

Unfortunately for Minju, there was nothing out of the ordinary.  Most of the time when she managed to get close to Hitomi, the latter would lean against Minju and mumble simple things in Korean (it revolved around sleepy and hungry most of the time).  Her heart swelled a little each time, Hitomi was too cute that Minju spoiled her (until Eunbi came to spoil her some more).

There was one time, however, that she did notice something... off.

It was during one of their down times in between photoshoot sessions that they waited patiently in the lounge while the set was being prepared.  The "01 Line" were together once more, and Yuri and Nako were playing a simple word game--one person would start with a word and the next person has to say a word that starts with the last syllable of the said word.  For someone who started learning Korean not that long ago, Nako was very good at the game (she did boast a little how she was a Korean genius).  They would laugh at Yuri when Yuri got stuck and Nako teasingly sang about her victory.

Minjoo noticed Hitomi tense next to her and when she stole a look to her, she saw furrowed brows and thin lips.  The other Japanese member was too focused on Yuri and Nako's game to even notice Minjoo's concern.  When she opened her mouth to ask, Yuri's voice overlapped her own and asked Hitomi if she wanted to play against Nako.

The look that Minjoo saw disappeared as quick as fried chicken on Hyewon's plate did and Hitomi just smiled and shook her head, reasoning she wouldn't be good.  She quickly dismissed herself from their group as Nako and Yuri started another round, claiming she needed to get some water.

Minjoo frowned when she glanced at the two water bottles in her hand--one of them marked with her name and the other with 'Honda Hitomi' in neater Hangeul.  She watched the retreating figure disappear in the direction of the bathroom and glanced around to see if any of the others noticed.

It's not until two minutes later, that she saw Chaeyeon get up and head in the same direction.

Chaeyeon and Hitomi returned shortly after and Minjoo handed Hitomi her water with a small smile.  Hitomi thanked her quietly and leaned against her side until they were called for the next photo-shoot.

Minjoo never asked Hitomi about what happened but the rigid look she had when she watched Yuri and Nako's word game from before was burned into her mind.

 

* * *

 

If there was something Minjoo loved to do, it was to watch people dance.  There's something about watching their fluid forms move around the stage, it was like watching a painting being created in front of you.  A lot of good dancers always left a lasting impression on her and she hoped that one day she could do the same.

Lee Chaeyeon happened to be one of those people.

Even after the group finished practice and most members left to take a hot shower and eat a good meal, Chaeyeon was always the last to leave--wanting to get one or two more rounds of practice in.  There was a reason why they praised her as the best dancer in IZ*ONE.

Minjoo sat silently off to the side, knees drawn up to her chest as she watched Chaeyeon move about their practice room to the beat of the song.  Her eyes studied the dancer very carefully and admired each perfect step, each expression that Chaeyeon practiced, and just how she made it seem so easy but in reality, it wasn't.  As the song came to an end and Chaeyeon held the ending pose, Minjoo unconsciously started to clap--it was beautiful--Chaeyeon could make any dance beautiful.

Chaeyeon loosened up and fell into a heap of laughter as she waved Minjoo off embarrassedly.  She grabbed a towel from some bags that were off to the side and wiped off her sweaty face.  "You don't have to wait up for us, Minjoo-yah, we might be a while." Chaeyeon neatly folded the towel and took a quick gulp of her water before she sat near Minjoo and stretched her limbs out.

Minjoo shook her head, her chin still rested on her knees.  "I don't mind Unnie, and I... honestly have something to ask you." Her voice trailed quietly as she recalled everything that had happened before with Hitomi.  She pursed her lips and shyly met Chaeyeon's eyes, who waited patiently for her to speak.

"It's about Hii-chan."

"Hitomi?"

Chaeyeon repeated and blinked, surprised at the mention of her roommate.  Minju nodded, eyes down casted as she quietly asked "Is... everything okay with her?"

The blank look on Chaeyeon's face made Minjoo hastily explain herself.

"I-I noticed she hasn't... been around lately..." Words spilled out incoherently and she bit her lip after--it sounded much better in her head and she started to panic.  Chaeyeon probably didn't understand what she meant and was even more confused and concerned over the Japanese member.  Minjoo suddenly regretted bringing the topic up and tried to stop herself.

"You know what Unnie, never mind--"

"Like she's been quiet and to herself lately?"

Chaeyeon finally responded and Minjoo sighed in relief, grateful that Chaeyeon always seemed to understand her.  She nodded and glanced over again at the dancer who continued with her stretches.  At the calm and rather neutral look on Chaeyeon's face, Minjoo's brows furrowed in confusion.  Chaeyeon eventually sat up and leaned backwards on her palms, her eyes reached for the ceiling.  "Hii-chan has been working hard, battling against something that you and I don't have to deal with in the same way as she does."

The words were cryptic, and her expression was unreadable.  It scared Minjoo--Chaeyeon was generally an easier person to read compared to a lot of members in their group, this was the first time she felt that she couldn't understand what she was saying. This made her even more concern with Hitomi.  She carefully leaned forward, "Unnie, do you know..."

Her voice died when their eyes met--a small, apologetic smile curled on Chaeyeon's lips.

"I'm sorry Minjoo-yah, I shouldn't be the one to talk about it."

Silence filled the void between them as Chaeyeon hopped to her feet and stretched her body out.  As if on que, the door to their practice room was swung open and a sweet _"Sorry for the wait."_ in accented, breathy Korean caught Minjoo's attention before she could dwell on Chaeyeon's words.  She saw the way Chaeyeon's eyes lit up and her lips fall into a teasing grin as she scampered to the door and held her hands out.

"I thought you ran away with the smoothies, Saku-chan!" Chaeyeon exaggerated each word and wriggled her hands around to help Sakura understand the joke.  Sakura--fully understanding Chaeyeon without the need of her motions--huffed and shoved two smoothies into Chaeyeon's waiting hands and jabbed her playfully in the ribs.  Minjoo giggled quietly at the mix of laughing and crying that escaped the dancer's lips.  She missed the sound of the padded footsteps that approached her and suddenly a smoothie invaded her line of sight.  She glanced up in confusion at the pretty Japanese face.

"I um... noticed... Earlier, when you didn't leave.  So, I thought you were going to practice too.  Together."

Sakura explained slowly in Korean, a shy smile graced her lips, but she insisted on Minjoo to take the smoothie.  Minjoo's cheeks flared up at the kind gesture and accepted the frozen drink with a small "thanks".  Chaeyeon appeared behind Sakura, an arm wrapped around her waist while she leaned forward to take a sip from a cup in her other hand.  A soft sigh escaped Sakura's lips and she visibly relaxed in Chaeyeon's hold to rest from the smoothie run from earlier.

"Minjoo has something on her mind, maybe you can give her some advice."  Chaeyeon chirped and grinned at Minjoo--who blinked in surprise at the sudden mention.  She opened her mouth to protest but was left with nothing as Sakura suddenly knelt to grasp her hands.  "Minjoo..."

"S-Sakura-unnie... I... uh..."

Her words were lost at the tip of her tongue.  Her mind deliberated on what she should say to Sakura, what could she say... How to say it--could she explain herself in Japanese?  Or can she use simple Korean...  The war waged on, but she felt a gentle squeeze and a kind smile that halted the battle temporarily.

"It's... okay." Sakura started, it was clear she held a similar battle to Minjoo, but she pushed herself to help her.  "You don't need to say anything now." The mix of Korean and Japanese made the meaning of Sakura's words clear to Minjoo, but she continued to stare dumbfoundedly at the girl, nonetheless.

She felt a small tap against her chest, just above her left breast where her heart beat.

"It's no good to keep it in."

The other hand that Sakura still held on to was squeezed in reassurance and told Minjoo silently that whenever she was ready to listen, Sakura would be there for her.

Honestly, Minjoo felt the tears well up a little at the corner of her eyes.  She could never understand how someone this kind was taking care of her.  She nodded mutely to Sakura and squeezed her hand back in silent thanks before Sakura separated from her and stood up to turn to Chaeyeon.

Minjoo tilted her head slightly, knowing something was wrong when Sakura's face scrunched up and a smirk grew on Chaeyeon's face.

"Chaeyeon!  That one was mine!"

Sakura's whine and Chaeyeon's signature laugh echoed throughout the practice room as the Japanese member wrestled with Chaeyeon to reclaim what was hers.  Soon, all their laughs joined together, the heavy atmosphere and conversation faded to the back of Minjoo's mind until she was ready to talk again.

 

* * *

 

Minjoo huddled into her brown leather jacket as she stood in front of the door that lead to Dorm 2.  Several different scenarios ran through her mind on what to say or what to do, but she really didn't know how she was going to approach Hitomi at this rate.

They had a small break and with Chaeyeon's help (and a bit of luck), they arranged a few things that happened to take out most of the members from Dorm 2 except for Hitomi.  Sakura was going to head to Dorm 1 to play video games with Yena and Hyewon and Yuri and Nako went out for lunch with Eunbi and Chaewon.  Seeing a window of opportunity for Minjoo, Chaeyeon convinced the youngest IZ*ONE members to come get groceries with her (she bribed them with their favorite dishes for dinner and they automatically followed her).  Minjoo thanked Chaeyeon for her help and after she picked up some baked goods from the bakery Eunbi recommended, she made her way to Dorm 2.

Her hand tapped against the plastic bag and she just continued to stare at the doorbell, scared that it was going to bite her.  She tried to calm herself down and she brought her phone out quickly to make sure her hair and make-up was fine.  She didn't even know why she dressed lightly for this--it was just another member, they've seen each other dozens of times without make-up or fancy clothes on----

The door opened suddenly and Minjoo nearly screamed.  She blinked when she saw Sakura, who looked equally as surprised.

It clued into Sakura why Minjoo was there and she turned her head back, "I'm heading out now, Hii-chan!  There's someone here for you, I'll let her in!"

Minjoo blinked, her mind rapidly trying to comprehend what Sakura said in Japanese.  She understood the first part, her eyes widened at Hitomi's nickname, but once Sakura dipped into the second half, she was lost.  Sakura just tapped her shoulder playfully, giving her a silent "fighting!" and passed her to go play video games at the other dorm.  Minju looked back between Sakura and the open door, almost frightened to go in now.  She gathered the little courage she had, inhaled deeply and stepped forward.

"Hello?"

Minjoo turned around when she heard a small voice call out as she shut the door.  She saw Hitomi peek from behind the corner, curious on who came to the dorm.  She blinked, and Minjoo gave a small smile.  "H-Hello, Hii-chan!"

Minjoo hoped she didn't butcher the pronunciation that badly and from the way that Hitomi's eyes brightened and the smile she cracked, it was passable.

"Minjoo!  Come in, come in!" Hitomi was quick to usher her inside and went to sit down on the leather couches in their living room.  Minjoo slipped her shoes off and followed after Hitomi, her eyes wandered around the other dorm--it was neat, tidy, and orderly as always.  It was the complete opposite of their dorm, which had things everywhere--clothes, boxes, whatever Yujin was throwing around the dorm...

She sat down in the space next to Hitomi, still baffled at how neat their dorm was.  "It's... clean..." She ended up muttering in Korean.  Hitomi giggled, "It's because of Nako and Chaeyeon-unnie..." there's a slight pause, Minjoo could see from the corner of her eyes Hitomi had more to say and was taking her time to say it, "... Wonyoung and Yuri clean-up after..."

Minjoo couldn't help but laugh, "Chaeyeon-unnie makes them?"

"Yes!" Hitomi's laugh joins with hers as they both imagined an angry Chaeyeon-mama towering over the two (unofficial) brats of Dorm 2.  Once they finished, Minjoo naturally asked "Did you have lunch yet?"

"Ah... mmm..." Hitomi fell silent, her eyes shifted to the coffee table in front of them and Minjoo followed silently, her eyes widened at the scattered Korean books and notebooks across the table.  She glanced at Hitomi, "Were you studying?"

"Y-Yes..." The response was rather swift, and she quickly gathered the books together so Minjoo couldn't stare for too long.  Minjoo frowned, "Hii-chan... You shouldn't study on an empty stomach." She pushed gently and pressed a hand on her shoulder.  There was a slight jump, and Hitomi's shoulders slumped a little.

"Mmm..."

Minjoo sensed that she was embarrassed by this.  She thought that maybe Yuri and Nako asked her to go out for lunch with them and she declined to stay and study.  She admired the dedication from her fellow "'01 liner".  She tapped Hitomi's shoulder gently and held up the white bag in view.  "Let's take a break."

Hitomi could never decline fresh bread, no matter what situation she was in.

 

* * *

 

When you compared the IZ*ONE members as animals, Hitomi was always called multiple things. She was normally a baby rabbit in the family of rabbits (composed of Eunbi, Nako, and Wonyoung) but when she ate bread, Minjoo thought she was like a hamster. With the way Hitomi chewed her bread and squished them to her cheeks to "savour the taste" (it's what she said) was very hamster-like.

While they ate the bread in silence (other then Hitomi's delightful hums), Minjoo kept cautious eyes on her. She really did seem like a small animal enjoying her meal, it was adorable. She was also concerned that Hitomi was basically scarfing the food down like how Yujin, Yena, or Hyewon would...

"Did you... Really not want to go out for lunch with Yuri and Nako?"

Minjoo asked quietly. Just from what she saw, Hitomi was starving, and to decline lunch with the others struck her as odd.  Hitomi doesn't reply, it seemed like she found her half-eaten cream-stuffed bread more interesting than Minjoo.  Minjoo took a small delicate bite from her croissant and swallowed rather quickly.  "Hii-chan... I..." She started, perhaps it was time to confess everything that she and Yena worried about.

"I... did."

Over the stuffed cheeks and the mostly eaten cream bread now, Minjoo heard the small confession.  She gazed at her, worried, and slowly settled down next to Hitomi on the floor between their couch and table.  Hitomi didn't try to run, in fact she visibly relaxed when she felt Minjoo at her side.  "But, Hii, lately..." The girl dipped into Japanese suddenly and Minjoo followed her gaze to the Korean books and notebooks scattered over the dorm's table top.  "Has not had any confidence."

"Confidence?"

Minjoo repeated the word in Japanese.  Her and most of the Korean members that weren't as versed in Japanese all knew this word throughout their time in Produce 48.  "Hii-chan..."

The cream bread was gone now and Hitomi dropped a hand towards the books and gently traced the written Hangeul on the front cover.  "I'm not like Saku-chan or Nako-chan... They've been an idol longer than I have... They've done so much more than I have... They adopt so much quicker than I do and even though I do my best, sometimes..."

Her voice died out into a mere mumble and her face fell.  Minjoo swallowed slowly, she couldn't understand every word that Hitomi was saying but Minjoo just _knew_ from her manners and tone of her voice.  It broke her heart to see this surface.  Hii-chan was just as important to IZ*ONE as any of them were, and to see her struggle all this time and alone made her ache.

Minjoo slowly closed the space between them, her hand came up and reached out for Hitomi's, clasp and entwined their fingers gently.  She squeezed Hitomi's hand and with all her Japanese knowledge mustered out something very similar to what she heard the other day.

"It's no good to keep it all in."

Minjoo tilted her head against Hitomi's as the latter dropped her head on Minjoo's shoulder and they both stared down at the textbooks in front of them.  Honestly, Minjoo was unsure if her Japanese was correct but judging from the silence from Hitomi and the simple, affectionate and thankful gestures, her point must have gone across somehow.  She patiently waited for Hitomi to calm down as her eyes drift back and forth between all the books.  Putting the pieces together that she collected so far, it was easy to assume the language barrier was something Hitomi struggled with everyday, but she worried that there was much more beyond that.  It was just a simple piece of the complex puzzle that was Honda Hitomi.

"Is that why, before with Yuri and Nako, you didn't want to play that game?"

She didn't want to dig deep into Hitomi's self-confidence issue, afraid that she'll break something and destroy a precious friend, but if she could help her with something like this first, then she wanted to do everything she can.  Hitomi doesn't budge from her comfortable perch against Minjoo, but her eyes fluttered downward, afraid to meet Minjoo's.

"Yes."

There's a small shift, and the remains of the croissant Minjoo ate earlier was pushed up against Hitomi's mouth.  Hitomi could smell the butter from its proximity and almost taste the flakiness of the crust.  She questioningly looked up at Minjoo and Minjoo insisted on her to eat more.  She bit into it and took the rest of croissant into her mouth.

"It's okay, Hii-chan.  You... learn at your own pace." Minjoo explained as the small hamster (or rabbit?) munched on the croissant she offered.  "I'm the same.  Look at Chaeyeon-unnie and Yujinie and Wonyoungie, they're so good at Japanese, but I'm not."

"That's not true!  Minjoo is..." A laugh cut Hitomi's words off and when Hitomi went to pout to Minjoo, she felt a soft press against her nose.

Minjoo wryly grinned at her.  "You didn't hesitate there.  And you understood what I said."

" _Mou, Minjoo_." Hitomi felt hurt that Minjoo was teasing her about her Korean at that moment.  She even shoved her, taking the advice she learned from her Chaewon-unnie--don't let Minjoo bully her around--but couldn't help but laugh alongside her.  The atmosphere lifted a little and Minjoo opened one of the books with her free hand and brought it to her and Hitomi.

"Chaeyeon-unnie always said the best way to get better is to practice more."

 

* * *

 

Minjoo wasn't sure how much time passed as her and Hitomi spent hours talking that they ended up falling asleep against each other.  She stirred and groggily woke up when she heard some whispering around her.  She suddenly felt a heavy weight against her other side and a rough voice in her ear.

"What do you think you're doing to our girl, _Kim Minjoo_?"

Her brow furrowed and she rubbed her eyes with her free hand that wasn't around Hitomi.

"Answer us.  Hii-chan is _ours._ "

She groaned and shook her head a little.  She knew the voices very well.

"Yuri?  Nako?"

The world came into focus and when she glanced at her side, she raised a brow.  Yuri held a very stone-cold expression, except she wore black sunglasses like she was a part of either a gang, their security guard, or the NIS.  She shoved Yuri with her free hand (who laughed as she was pushed away) and looked over at the person who was on Hitomi's side--Nako had the same stern look and same set of glasses on.

She rolled her eyes, knowing the two were playing around.  She placed a finger against her lips to shush the both of them as Hitomi stirred beside her, but still continued to sleep.

"But really, looks like you two were on some study date." Yuri pitched back in as she gestured towards the Korean (and some Japanese) language books.  A small smile curled on Minjoo's lips.  "We were practicing."

"Without us?  Yah, that's mean, I never get to speak a lot with Hii-chan." Yuri pouted and Minjoo hit her again.  "You live in the same dorm as her."

Nako gently settled herself against Hitomi's sleeping form as she watched silently, her eyes drawn from Hitomi, to the books on the table, to Minjoo and Yuri playfully arguing.  She gazed down at Hitomi again, knowing her Japanese member a bit more than the others, and her struggle this entire time.  They talked about it here and there but Nako always thought it was better for her to open more to the others.

When she saw how cuddled up Hitomi was to Minjoo, she knew and was glad that Hitomi was able to let some of that frustration out.

"You know you're bad at acting."

Nako whispered in Japanese.  Hitomi's head tilted towards her, one eye opened and a slight, playful smirk at her lips as she winked after.  She made out the words _'it's more fun this way_ ' and had to roll her eyes as she flopped more onto her Japanese member.  "It's not good to hide it."

A small grateful smile cracked on Hitomi's face as she turned her head back into her arms to pretend she was still asleep and squeezed Minjoo's hand.

"I know.  Minjoo taught me that."

**Author's Note:**

> ok i admit, the '01 line' gives me so many soft feelings, that's why i wrote yuri and nako into the end (wasn't originally planned).
> 
> p.s. sorry i don't really write them in "relationships" but i have it tagged as so. if it makes it too confusing i can remove it.


End file.
